The present disclosure relates to fenestration systems. Specifically, to movable partition assemblies using multi-path overhead guide rails.
Movable partition assemblies can be found in a wide-range of applications. For example, movable room partitions, sliding closet doors, sliding glass door panels, glazed terrace doors, and store front openings. Movable partition assemblies can include one or more overhead rails that guide the movement of movable panels. The movable panels can be suspended by wheeled trolleys, vertical or horizontal rollers, helical bearings, or other operable carriers.
With some movable partition assemblies, the movable panels slide along an overhead linear track, or overhead guide rails, that extend the width of the fenestration opening. For example, for a sliding glass door, glass door panels can be suspended by operable carriers on an overhead guide rail that extends the width of the door opening. The glass door panels can be arranged along parallel paths on the overhead guide rail so that one glass door panel slides behind the other. With this arrangement, the door opening can remain partially impeded because the glass door panels slide behind one another and remain within the door opening.
In some commercial and residential applications, it may be desirable to move the movable panels completely outside the door opening. For example, a commercial entrance to a department store within a shopping mall, or a wide terrace door opening in a residential home or apartment. One way that this has been done is by splitting or branching the overhead rails into multiple paths and then diverting the movable panels or a portion of the movable panels along one of the branched overhead rails. This allows the movable panels to be moved and arranged in more sophisticated ways than a single linear overhead rail. For example, in some arrangements, the movable panels can be stacked one behind another outside the door opening. Some movable partition assemblies with two or more movable panels are designed so one side of the movable panel can be diverted to one overhead rail while the other side of the movable panel is diverted to a different overhead rail. For example, a glass door panel system with multi-path overhead rails can be configured to divert each glass door panels from a single overhead rail to a pair of parallel overhead rails with each side of each glass door panel moving along different rails.
Various schemes have been devised to selectively divert movable panels from one overhead guide rail to another. Some of these include using path diverters or path guides that divert some operable carriers but not others.